Execution Imminent Despite Untested Evidence

Will Texas soon carry out another questionable execution? Henry “Hank” Skinner has been requesting DNA tests for evidence in his case for over a decade. The tests still haven’t been done and now Skinner has an execution date set for next Wednesday.

Last week 17 current and former elected officials and former prosecutors and judges sent a letter to Texas Governor Rick Perry, the state's Attorney General, and the local District Attorney calling for the DNA tests to go forward before the execution is carried out.

The letter says "executing Mr. Skinner without testing all the relevant evidence would suggest official indifference to the possibility of error..." And it adds, "there is simply no justifiable reason why Texas continues to waste taxpayer dollars in its decade-long fight to prevent scientific testing in Mr. Skinner's case."

Over 15,000 members of the public have already signed a petition calling on local officials to release the requested evidence for DNA testing. And recent polls have shown that more than 85% of Texans support the testing of DNA evidence when available.

The outcry over Skinner’s case shows the public clearly cares about accuracy and the death penalty. But does the state? We’ll soon see.